At Towering Heights
by Dawnheart98
Summary: 3 demigods are sent on a quest, but they are set up to fail. They are not supported at camp, and everything gets more dangerous as time passes. Will our heroes survive their quest? Or will the world crumble around them, normal humans the next to perish?
1. Chapter 1

At Towering Heights

Author's Note: The Percy Jackson part will come soon! It's actually more of a Heroes of Olympus, but I figured that they were spin offs so…it still works? I think you'll like my perspective! It's a bit different…but please rate and review! I'll put up the next chapter, after I see if I'm getting read or not. :D enjoy! :D

Chapter 1

Lylea blinked opened her eyes, staring at her plain white ceiling, and yawned. She enjoyed the peaceful moments of just waking up. She savored the grogginess, yet crispness of it. She rolled onto her side and stared at another plain wall—this one vertical rather than horizontal. Today was a special day. She felt her heart thud more clearly—she was slowly (but surely) escaping the just-woken-up-stage. She almost felt sad. She loved that early-morning feel, the crispness, the quietness, the—

Lylea yanked at the bed sheets in surprise—her alarm had gone off. She slammed her hand down on it—like she'd always seen in movies. It had stopped beeping—but she wondered for how long. She got up, stretched, and looked down at her alarm clock. The snooze appeared to be off, so she was safe. She went outside her bedroom and into the bathroom she and her mom shared. As she brushed her teeth, she reflected. The school year had gone well—considering that she was ADHD and dyslexic. She hadn't made many friends….Well…she guessed that she had… they were the kind hearted ones…the ones to make friends with an outsider…they were by no means the "popular kids" but Lylea had never been in that crowd. Her mom worked at Boeing, so they moved practically every year. They'd gone to some pretty interesting places—New York City, London, Sydney, Moscow. Along the way, Lylea had picked up the native languages—German, Russian, Spanish. It kind of got jumbled in her mind. She wasn't sure if she could still speak any of them, but it didn't matter. Usually, after her mother had lived in one place for at least a year, she was never sent back. Where was she living now? She was on the West Coast, in Sacramento. She was enjoying it…but she didn't really compare any of the places she'd been. After she left a place, she really left it forever—she never revisited it, in person, or in spirit.

Lylea's mom's job was pretty good, but rent was high in Cali, and they could only afford a small apartment. They didn't need anything else anyway. Moving around so much caused them to travel light and live light. Lylea didn't feel any anger towards her mom. Sometimes she wished they could just settle down in one place, but she knew that moving around was all that her mom had ever known! Even as a child, Lylea's mom had to move around a lot because of her father's job!

Lylea changed into fresh jeans and a cute flowery blouse. Lylea was known to never be girly or guy-crazy (on the outside.) Lylea did like to look nice sometimes, but she knew she could never have a closet full of pink and pastels, or have posters of the hottest actor-hunk covering her walls. She had nothing against flowers though. And guys? She supposed she was guy-crazy on the inside. Well, she wasn't sure exactly the definition of the word…But she knew that as soon as she saw a cute guy, she could consider herself in _like_ with him…sometimes for several months…Then she would find some fault in him (maybe he had insulted one of her friends, or just acted like a jerk once) or she would move away before she could tell him. Then she would put away her feelings in a mental trashcan ("thrown away guys") and let their memories fade away slowly. Sometimes, she still had traces of memories…but they didn't bother her. It was kind of like, well, Lylea guessed that if you were fighting with your best friend, but got over it, then you could look back at the fight, and either laugh, or decide never to think about it again.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," a voice greeted her warmly. Lylea looked at her mother in surprise. Lylea hadn't even realized she had walked to the kitchen and sat down.

"Sleepwalking, are we?" her mother joked. Polly Moreson, Lylea's mother, was of average height, but was drop-dead gorgeous! Polly had lush, dark brown hair, and large hazel eyes, framed by long lashes. Lylea had seen Polly bringing many dates home (none of them stayed the night though) but always had to leave before the proposal. Lylea wondered if Polly was happy about that, or whether she wished there was a guy that didn't mind moving around so much, and that they could settle down…without settling down in one place.

Lylea thought about her own looks. She had boring brown eyes, not very noticeable features, but her hair—oh, no, her hair. Lylea hated it. It wasn't dark blonde. It wasn't light brown. It was somewhere in between and it was gross. Lylea wondered why she hadn't inherited her mother's looks. She wondered whether her father had her hair color and brown eyes. Whenever she asked about her father, her mother always smiled as if in loving memory. Her mother always described Lylea's father as the best thing that ever happened to her. Lylea didn't really understand that…I mean he _left _her, right? With a baby? That maybe Polly wasn't ready for? But Polly always said that she had wanted Lylea and loved her fiercely, enough for Lylea's father AND herself—but Polly assured Lylea that her father loved her too, which meant that Lylea was triply loved. Lylea wasn't sure about her father…I mean how could he love her if he left his daughter and his…well not really wife?

"Lylea," Polly sang. Lylea looked up at her mother. Polly was smiling and presented her with a plate of a huge pancake—shaped like a slice of birthday cake. There was strawberry jam to symbolize the icing, as well as maple syrup that was on the table. Lylea smiled back at her mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Polly returned it with a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!" Polly said.

"Thanks, mom," Lylea replied.

"So," Polly asked, "how old are you?"

"Mom," Lylea laughed. "You know how old I am."

"Just say it out loud!" Polly exclaimed, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Make it really _real_!"

"I'm sixteen," Lylea said, sighing. Finally. Sixteen. One more year till she was the ideal age—seventeen. She loved seventeen, because it was still young enough to be a kid, but definitely old enough to make your own decisions, have responsibility, be a young adult. But she would enjoy being sixteen. Sixteen was a sweet age. That's why it was called _sweet_ _sixteen_, right?

"I have a surprise for you," Polly sighed.

Lylea looked at her, a little astonish. "I thought the pancakes were the surprise," Lylea said, quite seriously.

"No, don't be silly," Polly said just as seriously, her hazel eyes shocked, as if the thought of her daughter only expected pancakes for her birthday was unacceptable.

"Mom, I don't need any gifts," Lylea said strongly, looking her mother in the eyes.

Polly looked at her, love overwhelming her gaze. Lylea almost choked on her pancakes. They were having a _I totally love you and can't imagine what I'd do without you _ moment.

"Well, we'll see about it…" Polly said slowly. "We'd better start driving though…It's…well…"

Polly got up and tidied up the…already clean kitchen. Lylea wasn't sure what her mom was thinking. Well, Lylea knew her mom was a little worried or upset about something…but what?

Lylea finished her pancake. It was absolutely amazing. She thanked her mom with a hug, and threw away the paper plate. "Should I pack anything?" Lylea asked, getting straight to the point.

Polly looked at her with pride, and also a little regret. "Yes…" she said slowly. "Would you mind if I helped you?"

Lylea was a little surprised, but hid it from her mother. Usually her mother was great about her independence—in fact she expected Lylea to know things like how to cook, how to do laundry, how to run the dishwasher, simple living things like that. Lylea suspected her mom wanted to spend some time with her, but she couldn't think of why. Unless she was being sent somewhere…but they would have talked about it before…Lylea decided not to think about it until they got there. She and her mother went into her room. Polly brought in a huge red suitcase, opened it up, and started raiding Lylea's closet.

Lylea looked at her mom with shock. "Mom…why are you emptying my closet?"

"Just extra clothes, honey, just in case," Polly replied automatically. Lylea sighed. Oh well. Her mom could be crazy sometimes. Although this wasn't the most crazy thing. Her mom was perfectly sane of course. But her personality was bubbly and fun. That's what was meant by crazy.

They packed the car (with only a suitcase for Lylea) and drove. It was a pretty short drive…only two hours. They started veering off the highway, and taking some weird route that Lylea hadn't noticed before. The view was gorgeous outside. Lylea and her mom didn't really talk but she hoped it was a comfortable silence. It was for her if it was for her mom. They stopped in front of an arch. Lylea looked up. The writing looked like English…but Lylea had no trouble reading it. Lylea deciphered it and was even more confused by it…and a little disturbed. The sign said _Camp Half-Blood._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Go on, Lyl," Polly said.

Lylea heard her mom choke up. "Mom, what is this?" Lylea asked, panic rising in her voice. "What is this place? Half-Blood? That sounds really creepy."

"Don't worry, it's for the best." Polly said. "Go! Don't worry, you'll be back by the end of summer."

"The whole summer?" Lylea voiced her outrage. "Nice birthday present mom."

Polly looked like she was going to cry. Lylea instantly felt rotten. How could she let her surprise make her so bitter? She loved her mom more than anything! She had to protect her! Going away the whole summer was going to affect more than just Lylea—Polly would miss her too!

"I'm joking mom, I love you so much," Lylea said, hugging her mom. Her mom hugged her hard back.

"I'll be back soon," her mom whispered. "Go now."

Lylea got out of the car, and got her suitcase. She lugged the heavy thing and walked past the sign. A chill ran down her spine. It was as if she was beginning something new—something bigger than just some weird old summer camp.

"Who goes there?" a deep voice snarled.

Lylea felt her heart jump but composed her face as she turned to find the sound of the voice. A boy, not more than her age probably, maybe even younger, jumped out of nowhere (so it seemed) in front of Lylea.

"Who are you?" Lylea shot back, bristling at his hostility. The boy had angular features, small blue eyes that glittered with emotion. He had dark skin—he was probably African American—and small black curls (closely shaven to his head).

"I am in my own abode—you are in enemy territory," the boy pointed out, unsmilingly. "You should answer my questions. We could very well kill you without a trace—then who would be asking questions?"

"Not me, I'm guessing?" Lylea tried to joke her way out of this predicament. Kill? _Kill_ her? She was seriously freaking out on the inside, but she hoped it didn't show. Couldn't dogs smell fear? Maybe enemies could too. Who knows _what_ this guy was!

"Well, we are required to give all newcomers a fair trial," a new voice pointed out. It was distinctly feminine, and Lylea didn't have to guess who it was for long. A girl, also jumping out of nowhere, stood by the boy. She was Asian, with short brownish-black hair, and brown eyes. She wasn't exceedingly beautiful, but had pleasant features.

"Yes, how else would we get new campers," the boy muttered. "You may come in! Leave your luggage here—you may never need it again."

Lylea put her suitcase down very carefully, and followed the boy and girl deeper into the camp. Her mind was dividing between taking in all the sights of the camp (that were quite miraculous) and mulling over her huge predicament of life or death, quite literally. There were many cabins, nine in a neat semi circle, and the others close by but not in formation. She saw two long lines of kids decked out in full metal gladiator armor, sparring with each other with what Lylea hoped weren't real swords. There were more kids further away, in tight square formations (there were about ten squares) all with bows and arrows, and were shooting targets (Lylea presumed). Lylea continued to follow the pair to what seemed to be the heart of the camp. The boy went off somewhere, while the girl (apparently standing guard?) stayed with Lylea. Lylea was content to stay in silence…but only for a few minutes. Where was that weird guy, anyway?

"So, what's your name?" Lylea asked the girl. The girl looked at her as if she had sprouted antlers, then turned away.

"I'm called Penny."

"Oh, cool, I'm—" Lylea was about to introduce herself when Penny shut her up with a death glare, just as a booming voice began to speak.

"We have a new arrival!" it began. It was a girl, and Lylea noticed (though the girl was trying very hard not to show it) that she was nervous. Lylea was pretty good at judging people's expressions and feelings. She wasn't sure how but it was just a knack. This girl was standing on a platform, addressing a crowd that had newly gathered. They were all kids, around Lylea's age or younger, ranging from about thirteen to nineteen. The girl was of average height, and had green eyes and dark blonde hair. She looked like she wasn't used to addressing such a big crowd. "And you all know what that means."

"I want to do it!" someone yelled.

"No me!"

"You got to do it once already!"

"So have you!"

"Send the toughest fighter!"

"That was Jason!"

As soon as the name was mentioned, the crowd became uneasy and exceedingly awkward. Lylea had a faint thought about who this Jason was. The girl also looked really uncomfortable, but a boy, tall, blonde, stormy gray eyes, muscular, stepped forward, and the tension began to relax.

"Brenton! Brenton!" the chanting began.

"We have a volunteer," the girl began, a bit resignedly. "Give them their weapons!"

Someone threw this Brenton character a sword. He caught it expertly, and did a little flourish, and everyone cheered. Someone thrust a sword at Lylea. She looked to see a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. If she hadn't been so frightened and confused she would have noticed that he was exceedingly handsome. She took the sword from his hands.

"You have to fight him," the boy said. "Prove your worth to everyone at camp. Only then will you be accepted."

Lylea looked at Brenton, flexing his muscles and just showing off. Girls squealed and Lylea felt anger explode in her chest. She really hated this guy. And as she tossed the sword from one hand to the other, she let it settle in. She didn't like it was much as she thought she would but it was a basic sword and Lylea thought she could handle that. (How, Lylea had no idea.) She didn't think to worry about technicalities. She had to fight for her life now.

She stared into Brenton's eyes, which were glaring at her. They circled each other. Several campers had stepped out of the crowd, faced it, and were apparently quieting them down. Now there was dead silence, and the only sound Lylea could hear was her own beating heart. She steadied her body, her mind racing, trying to think of a strategy. _Well…here goes nothing._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I literally put up this chapter as soon as I finished it. I'll admit, I'm pretty excited about it! I hope you enjoy it. I can't wait to continue this story because I have tons of great ideas up my sleeve! Keep reading and reviewing!_

Chapter 3

Brenton didn't wait for Christmas to arrive. He jabbed at her, left and right, causing her to dodge in every direction. Lylea knew he was trying to tire her out. She didn't stand much of a chance against him now when she was still at full stamina! Lylea felt kind of awkward blocking Brenton's strikes with her sword (she kind of wished for a shield). Lylea wondered if Brenton had the same wish. He had jumped so quickly into battle that they hadn't even put on armor. (Lylea had seen many people training in full battle armor—she guess she would be even more awkward in it because she wasn't used to its weight, but hey, it would protect her, right?)

As she blocked and blocked and blocked, she wondered whether _she_ could tire out _Brenton_ instead. Suddenly, Brenton's leg lashed out. Lylea leaped up, avoiding his trip, and went against her momentum when she blocked Brenton's jab to her stomach. She had jumped a few inches higher than she had expected, and landed off balance. Brenton was using her every mistake to its fullest potential to help him and it wasn't feeling good for Lylea. Finally, Brenton managed to crash her to the ground, sword tip at her throat.

The dark blonde announcer girl from earlier ran up to them, her hand on Brenton's. "Enough!" she yelled. "We have a definite winner. Although this new girl lost, she may just as well have proved her worth. Those who agree that she has proven herself worthy go to the _yes_ side! Those who think she should die today, the _nullum_ side."

After several moments, and dark glances from the blonde girl, Brenton moved his sword, and Lylea was allowed to get up. The blonde girl and Brenton stood far away from her, and she was alone, the center of attention (though, the attentions were probably mockery and disdain, not even neutral feelings.) Lylea saw that so far, the two sides were even. There were still a good amount of stragglers talking amongst themselves, trying to make up their minds. Finally, Lylea saw that there were significantly more _yes_ people than _nullum_ people. She was internally extremely glad (she wasn't supposed to die today!) But she wondered how well the _nullum _people would be treated, now that she wasn't going to die as soon as they had wanted.

"It is decided then!" the girl announced again. "We shall welcome a new camper," she looked at Lylea expectantly. Lylea gazed back at her, not sure what she wanted.

"Your name, please," the girl said, looking at Lylea as if she had said two plus two was six.

"Lylea." Then, after a few seconds, she added her last name. "Moreson."

Suddenly, the crowd went dead silent (all whispering and mumbling had stopped) and the kids were staring at her with widened eyes. As Lylea checked for a second time, they were actually staring above her head. Lylea looked up, and saw a blazing yellow bow and arrow shape appear above her head. She desperately wanted someone to explain this to her but she figured that these people weren't too friendly to people who were in any way inferior to them. She kept her mouth shut, wondering what would happen now that this thing had appeared above her head, for all to see and gape blatantly at.

"Lylea Moreson, daughter of Apollo, god of the sun, healing, and the arts, will now join Camp Legion as a full camper!"

Loud cheering erupted (mostly from the _yes _side), slowly to be followed by the _nullum _side. Lylea felt her heart beating fast—these people were cheering for her, and she didn't even know what she did. She was utterly defeated in front of what looked like at least a hundred kids—by a boy who could very well be a great bragger—and she was now…

Lylea couldn't even take all of it in at once. In several minutes, kids were ushered back to their stations, and things resumed as if Lylea had never even existed. Lylea noticed the blonde announcer girl, along with the campers who had quieted down the crowds, going towards a shady-looking building, muttering to one another, and looking worried. Lylea wondered whether she should follow them, and figure out what was going on, or wander about the camp, hoping no one would notice her, and then figure out what to do form there.

"Hey, Lylea."

Lylea turned to see the same brown haired boy who had given her the sword walk up to her, along with another boy Lylea's hadn't seen before. He had strawberry-blonde hair, and blue eyes, and a handsome face. He was a litter taller than the brown haired boy (the brown haired boy was about the same height as Lylea.)

Lylea didn't return their greeting, tensing up, waiting to hear what they had to say.

"You can calm down a little, if you want," the strawberry-blonde said, smirking a little. "I'm Austin. I'm in your cabin."

"I'm Chauncey," the brown haired boy said. "I'm in the Venus cabin."

Lylea nodded, and tried to smile at them.

"We'll show you around camp," Austin said. "Our head counselor, Skylar, told me to, and I'll be happy to oblige."

Lylea wanted to ask why Chauncey was there, but didn't want to appear too rude. She wondered if she'd need all the friends she could get here—and she had already made enemies with half the camp, just by arriving, well, and losing. To that creepshow, brat-face—

"These are all the cabins, each one dedicated to a god." Austin said, starting at the farthest left cabin, but pointing out ones on the opposite end, as well. "This is Minerva, Ares, Vulcan, Mercury, Venus, Apollo, Juno…" Austin stopped before her got to the biggest, and the on in the middle.

"This is Jupiter's, I'm guessing," Lylea filled in for him, wondering why he had stopped.

"Yeah, yeah," Austin muttered. "So, onto the daily lives of campers. You wake up early enough for a five a.m. jog. I don't know how much time you take to get ready, but there have been Venus campers who wake up at three to put on make-up." He shot Chauncey a look, and the brown haired boy just arched an eyebrow as if to say _never heard of 'em._ "And some Minerva campers wake up early to read, but if you're smart like me, you'd get as much sleep as you can, but be as fresh as you can for the jog.

"At six-thirty, we have breakfast," Austin continued. "Which gives you half an hour to do whatever before the meal. People usually shower real fast so they don't stink up the class around them for the rest of the day."

"You usually offer some of your food to your parent god," Chauncey added.

"Yeah, but she could have learned that at lunch today," Austin said. Lylea wondered if he found pleasure in contradicting, or just giving the Venus child a hard time.

"Anyway," Austin continued. "Then we train throughout the day. Not everyone does the same thing, otherwise nothing would get done, of course."

"You can just come with me to all of my classes until we figure something else out," Austin said, cutting off something Chauncey was going to say. Austin shot a smug look at Chauncey who didn't indulge in responding.

"The bell for mealtime will ring three times a day, pretty acceptable," Austin went on. "So, yeah, any questions?"

_Oh, no, not much, just like, a million_, Lylea thought, feeling a little miffed. She decided to ask a question, one she hoped would have a definite and easy answer. "What kind of classes will we be taking?"

"We will be taking gymnastics, swimming, fighting practice, and walking practice."

"Walking?" Lylea asked in confusion. "We already jog every morning!"

"Walking practice is walking around in full battle armor, in a phalanx," Austin said, then smirking at the surprised expression on Lylea's face. "What, too rigorous for you?"

"No, I'm up for the challenge." Lylea's face hardened. "If there's anything difficult for me at first, I'll train extra hard and master it."

"Awesome!" Chauncey said, and Lylea smiled at him.

"Tough girl, huh?" Austin asked, catching Lylea by surprise. The lunch bell rang, and Chauncey and Austin picked up their pace.

"What?" Lylea asked, jogging to catch up to them."

"You don't want to be the last one there," Chauncey said. "If you are, you get to run three laps around the camp."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lylea sat on the floor by her bed, panting, holding her side, too tired to drink any water. It was just after the morning jog—her morning shower day (which she was glad of) but another Apollo cabin girl, Cleo, had her turn before Lylea today. There was an elaborate system for everything in the Apollo cabin. Lylea liked it—it was fair, and there could be no complaints made by the cabin members. She had been at Camp Legion for only one week—though it felt like a month! She was getting used to the schedule, and her body had adjusted surprisingly well to the rigorous training programs here. Of course, she knew she was way out of shape, and her body didn't thank her in that respect. But she hadn't pulled any tendons or broken any bones or anything serious like that to cause her to miss regular activities. She hoped that didn't mean she wasn't trying hard enough (it certainly felt like she was at least.)

"Hey, Lylea," Austin greeted her. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure, I guess," Lylea shrugged. "If you want to. I smell like rotten eggs."

"Nah, too many people's rotten eggs smells are way worse than yours."

"Uh, thanks, I think," Lylea laughed. Even though Austin had given her his schedule, she hadn't really "hung out" with him. He always had so many friends in all of their classes, and he was always with them (half of his friends were girls, who were all too pleased to have his attentions on them).

"Your first week at camp is over, huh?" Austin asked, smiling.

"Whoa, how did you know?" Lylea asked, arching an eyebrow. "I don't think I've even seen you around all that much all week."

"I know," Austin said, looking a little offended. "I was the one to give you your tour around camp, remember?"

"And Chauncey," Lylea recalled, thinking of the brown haired boy. She hadn't seen much of him either this week (well, more of him than Austin, really). They had a few conversations about things Lylea couldn't remember when time had permitted.

Austin scoffed at the mention of the name. He looked like he was about to say something but Lylea cut him off abruptly.

"What is up with you and Chauncey?" Lylea asked, her annoyance beginning to show itself through her tone of voice. "Do you not like him? Are you two friends?"

"How could I not like him if he was my friend?" Austin asked.

Lylea rolled her eyes.

"Well, he was in my division, so we always had to train together, so I guess I know him okay," Austin replied, a look of superiority sneaking onto his face.

"Okay," Lylea said. "That doesn't tell me why you seem so _uneasy _about him."

Austin snorted. "I wouldn't call it uneasy. More like…"

"Always laughing at him?" Lylea supplied. "As if you have some inside joke as _his _expense on your mind every time you see him that you can't help but snicker out loud? Yeah, I guess you are making _him _uneasy."

Austin lowered one eyebrow. "Gosh. Well, for good reason."

"Yeah?" Lylea asked. "What's that?"

"No one takes the Venus cabin seriously." Austin said. "It's a fact that you were going to learn sooner or later. I have no regrets in telling you something that was bound to come your way anyway."

"I don't see you being so snobby to the Venus _girls_," Lylea said, her gaze spiteful. "In fact, I see quite a lot of _flirting _going on."

"Oh, you've noticed," Austin said extremely quickly. "You said you haven't seen me all week. How could this be?" he continued without a pause. "Could you be _jealous_?"

Lylea tried to contain her laughter. "Chauncey. Dude. Why do you laugh at him?"

"Well, it must be so embarrassing to be a son of Venus," Austin said with a malevolent grin. "I mean how does that even work? Venus is all about love and compassion—not attributes a boy should have and be proud of."

Lylea looked at Austin in a little bit of disgust. "Say, Austin, do you have a girlfriend?"

Austin looked at her, something sparking in his eyes. "No, why do you ask?"

"Well, it's no wonder." Lylea stood up, leaving Austin's head swirling with confusion. "I guess I'll just go visit some people. I guess I'll see you around. Or not."

She turned and headed towards the door.

"H-hey! What about your rotten egg smell?" Austin called out from behind her. "It still reeks!"

Lylea decided to ignore him. She went out in the fresh cool air. She looked around for some people she knew. She spotted Quinn, from her cabin, chatting with Saul and Max from the Minerva cabin.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them. They smiled at her welcomingly.

"What's up?" Max asked. Max was of average height, and had dark blonde hair and brown eyes, with long lashes. He had a few light freckles on his cheeks and nose, and pale skin, even though it was summer.

"Nothing much," Lylea replied, as she noticed Quinn handing her a red refillable Nike water bottle.

"You look way dehydrated," he said, sounding disapproving. She gratefully took the water bottle and drank from it greedily.

"Thanks," she said a little breathily afterward. The water had been ice cold and marvelous as it washed down her throat. She caught Saul (a tan skinned boy with short, dark-brown-almost-black hair, and light brown eyes) giving her a strange look, but it passed so quickly that Lylea wondered if she had imagined it.

They talked for a little while longer, Lylea participating in the conversation where appropriate. The breakfast bell cut off any further conversation that the group would have had. They all jogged quickly to the mess hall. Lylea noticed Brenton coming towards her and she felt herself bristled angrily. What did he want with her now? It had been a week since they had interacted. Surely he didn't want to start anything now. She saw her friends backing away slowly.

"H-hey, where are you guys going?" Lylea called, feeling a bit frantic (but hiding it behind a mask of a scowl)."

"We'll see you later," Saul said.

"I'll save you a sit by me and Cleo," Quinn said.

Lylea was about to make a comment about running away (that always struck a nerve with the people here. Well, if someone made a comment like that to Lylea, she would be mad too.) She took a deep breath and prepared herself to meet with Brenton.

"What do you want?" she snarled as soon as he arrived (and before he could say anything.)

He gave her a hurt look. Lylea almost flipped over backward in surprise. She hadn't thought that Brenton would be capable of anything but a smug, know-it-all, self-important expression. "Wh-what?" Brenton said. "You haven't met me before. Formally."

"Oh, I think defeating me in front of everyone in a match is formal enough," Lylea said vehemently.

His expression then turned angry. "Oh, you are confusing me with someone else."

Suddenly, Lylea noticed subtle difference between the Brenton that had beaten her in front of everyone, and this "Brenton". This one's eyebrows were barely more filled in. He had a small freckle-like birthmark on the outer corner of his left eye, on the below side, not upward.

"Oh—I am so sorry…" Lylea felt like a total jerk for acting so stupidly toward him. "Are you—"

"Yes, I am Brenton's twin, Trenton," the boy sighed. "The lamer, loser, how-could-they-be-related-much-less-twins twin."

"Brenton and Trenton," Lylea said, grinning. "Really?"

"Hey, it's classic," Trenton smiled, apparently (not offended, and) happy that Lylea's conduct towards him had changed. They were at the mess hall but two campers standing on either side of the door crossed the entryway with their spears.

"Sorry, you two," one said with a grim smile. He looked no more than fourteen, with short brown hair, and small hazel eyes. "One of you will have to run. Everyone else has already made their way to the hall."

Lylea and Trenton looked at each other, eyes widened.

"I'll run," they both said in synchronization. That made them both smile.

"I will!" Lylea said with passion. "I was so horrible to you a moment ago! It's the only way to make it up."

"Don't worry about that," Trenton flapped his hand. "I'll do it! It's the only gentlemanly thing to do."

"Don't get all gentlemanly with me," Lylea fake-scowled, chuckling together with Trenton. "You're a Roman! Not an Englishman."

"Well, since neither of you can decide," the other sentry (a girl of about the same age, with a short brown bob and glasses), "I guess you can both run."

Lylea and Trenton looked at each other in defeat. "Well, I guess it's the only fair way," Trenton said cautiously.

Lylea shrugged sadly. "Someone has to run."

"Off you two go then," the boy said, apparently happy do send _two_ people off running (something he had never heard of another sentry doing before). "The whole camp now, you hear? No cutting corners! Three laps!"

"I thought it was two," Lylea muttered to Trenton, after they were out of earshot of the two young sentries.

Trenton laughed. "Oh, we were lucky," he said, as they began to jog side by side. "Some sentries make it a point to give people six or seven laps! These were young ones—they don't know the evil secrets of the sentries yet!"

Lylea laughed at that. She hoped the laps wouldn't be so bad, now that she had a friend to share them with. She looked at Trenton a little sheepishly to think of him as a friend already. But what was camp for, but for making friends, even if it is was a weird battle camp where the kids were half-god and they trained for battle all day?

Lylea and Trenton shared great conversation together and made it back to the mess hall with ten minutes to spare. The food had gone cold, and they ruefully ate it, returning to their designated tables with their cabins a bit embarrassedly, not wanting to answer any awkward questions.

They were of course to be expected. Quinn gazed wide-eyed at her, scooching over so she sat in between him and Stella, another Apollo girl. She gave her a nasty glare and turned to talk to Austin, who didn't even glance at Lylea as she sat down at the table.

"Where were you?" Quinn asked, all his worry expressed freely in his voice.

"Running, no doubt," Cleo said, sitting across from Quinn, smiling eagerly at Lylea. "Late for breakfast, were we?" she asked teasingly. (Cleo had spiky black hair, pale skin, and green eyes that always seemed to be laughing. Lylea quite liked Cleo, among her cabin mates).

"Why were you with that guy?" Quinn asked, jaw agape.

"Who, Trenton?" Lylea asked. "He's Brenton's twin, did you know that?"

"Yeah," Quinn muttered.

"You two ran the laps together?" Cleo asked, her eyes a little wide in surprise, but still smiling.

"Yeah, now would you two let me eat?" Lylea asked with a laugh. "I only have five minute left now!"

"Yeah, you'll be hungry," Austin said, Lylea looking at him in surprise. "Today's going to be hard training."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lylea sat cross-legged on her bed. It was the end of the day, and she was exhausted. That morning, Austin had mentioned today's training to be extremely hard. It had been. Lylea had traded shower places with Cleo (_such a nice girl_, Lylea thought fondly) and was getting ready for bed. It was nine-fifteen, but tomorrow's run was at five as usual. She wanted to get an extra-good night's sleep.

She noticed a few extra people missing from their beds. Jenna and Quinn were usually out late, chatting it up with campers from other cabins. Jett, their brooding cabin leader (though still a really cool guy) was missing, and he usually wasn't out past nine. He had tons of friends at camp but he always liked to spend extra time with his cabin mates to get to know them better and form close bonds. _Friends stick together in battle_, he said. _Yeah, it's every camper for themselves. But friends can help you out when you need it most._

Just as she was wondering about him, Austin spoke up. "Hey, anyone seen Jett?"

Just then, Jenna walked in as well. She was only thirteen, but was pretty mature for her age. Lylea look quite a liking to her (though she didn't really like much of the other younger kids at camp. Some of 'em were cute, but some of them just thought they were _so cool_...and yeah, long story.) "I want to tell him about sword practice today! I _won_! Against a Mars camper!"

"Nice work, short stuff!" Cleo congratulated her. They high-fived.

Jenna grinned back. "Thanks, tall stuff!" Actually, Cleo wasn't exceptionally tall, and Jenna _was _pretty tall for her age-they weren't much of a difference in height. Cleo and Jenna began a conversation about who the Mars camper was, and whether he would come for revenge or not.

Just then, Jett walked in.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Cleo asked, smiling. He didn't return her smile. His thin black hair (cut kind of short, though his bangs fell below his eyebrows) was swooshed to the side, revealing dark eyebrows, and (of course) dark black eyes, which looked extremely troubled. His tan cheeks were a little more pink with color. He just looked really tired. Jenna ran over to him, and as he sat down on his bed, she sat on his lap.

"What happened?" she asked, and Lylea felt her heart squeeze. First of all, they were so cute! Jett was such a good older-brother-type guy! That was always hot. Jenna was just the most adorable little girl Lylea had ever seen! But her heart was also paining because Jett looked so utterly bewildered. _He_ was supposed to be the cool one, always looking out for his cabin mates, and stuff.

"Let me tell you what happened at the counselor meeting," Jett sighed, his arm around Jenna. "I'm not supposed to tell you... but I trust you guys a lot, kay? Don't let me down on this...You haven't given me a reason not to trust you, so I do..."

"Yeah, man, we won't disappoint ya," Cleo assured him. "Go on!"

"Hey...whoa, what's going on?" Quinn asked as he came in the door.

"Oh, wow, Mr. Socialite is here," Austin said sarcastically. Quinn shot him a look.

"Why are we all huddled up for story time?" Quinn asked.

"Just shut the freak up and sit down," Cleo said (not unkindly.) She just spoke like that sometimes. They were used to it. She tried to tone it down when Jenna was there...But again, the little girl was mature. She could handle a few "bad words".

"Everyone's really worried," Jett said. "With Jason missing...And that guy, Percy, or whatever... Well, anyway...Lupa has been really sick for the past few days...and she hadn't gotten any better."

Shocked looks were on all the faces of the campers around her. Lylea looked around, feeling really confused. Apparently the three people Jett mentioned were really important...but she had no clue who any of them were.

"Question?" Lylea asked tentatively. She wasn't sure how well people were taking the news (apparently it was bad news?) She didn't want them to lash out at her.

"You don't know who any of those people are, do you?" Austin asked. She tried to mask her surprise. How did he know?

"Oh, I forgot," Jett said, sounding really apologetic. (Lylea felt bad for making _him_ feel bad.) "You came after both of them went off...and Lupa was sick when you first came, so she didn't meet you..."

"Pretty much the whole camp has changed, right before you came," Quinn said.

"But it's all you've known, so it's normal for you," Jenna deduced, and Lylea smiled inwardly. Smart girl. Even though she was years younger than her...and had been a camper longer!

"It's odd that you are sixteen, and this is your first year at camp," Austin said. She wondered whether to take that to offense. She put on a mask of hurt anyway.

"No, like, usually you're Jenna's age when a faun finds you," Cleo said.

"Faun. Right."

"Oh...yeah...all the fauns have gone off on some quest..." Jett sighed. "You are so behind on, like, _normal_ camp life."

"Yeah, you don't even know about the prophecy yet," Jenna said. Jett poked her, and she looked at him, hurt in her eyes. "What?"

"Prophecy? Are those special?" Lylea asked, her eyes wide.

Jett shrugged. "Yeah, but for the past few years, we had one..then it got fulfilled...then we got another one right after...so some campers...well pretty much all of the campers here have been right there when a prophecy was in effect."

"Is the prophecy in effect right now?" Lylea asked in wonder.

Jett nodded.

"So...Who's Jason? And Percy? And Lupa, again?" Lylea asked. "I know Lupa's sick..."

"Lupa is the camp director," Quinn said. "Usually she would say whether you're worthy to be a camper or not."

"But that girl did that...uh, Reyna, or something?" Lylea asked.

"Heh heh, yeah, that's something else weird happening right now." Austin said. "When Lupa was sick, Jason took over that...which was weird enough, but everyone likes Jason, so it really didn't matter."

"He was really cute," Jenna added, and Jett poked her again.

"Don't talk about him in the past tense!" Quinn said, his eyes wide. "He's not dead!"

"We hope," Jett added. To Lylea, he said, "He went missing some while ago. We've been searching...pretty desperately...but no one's found him."

"Then this weirdo guy named Percy shows up," Austin said.

"He's also really hot," Jenna added.

"He loved Greek terms which is so wack since, uh, you know, we're all about Roman stuff here, right?" Cleo said.

"And the camps goes into chaos...because we now know that there's a camp...just like us...but a _Greek_ camp!" Jenna says, her face getting more and more into a surprised expression with every word.

"Whoa...this is like..." Lylea couldn't even say anything. "Whoa."

"There's been rumors about a quest, trying to find some cure for Lupa," Jett said.

Jenna looked up at him with wonder. "You're gonna go on a quest?" she asked. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Might not be me," Jett said gruffly, though obviously pleased with Jenna's obvious admiration. "But we'll see. Lupa has to assign quests anyway...and she's can't...so..."

"And there's not gonna be a prophecy about fixing Lupa," Quinn said. "Probably."

"So yeah...that's that," Jett said, sighing. "None of this goes outside this cabin...Got it?" The campers nodded their heads solemnly. "In fact...you don't even talk about it outside this cabin." They nodded again.

"But we might explode if we don't tell someone!" Jenna gasped. Jett looked at her sternly.

"We can talk tomorrow night," he said firmly. "Not before. And not anywhere else."

"Why is this so top secret anyway?" Lylea asked. "Everyone apparently knows Jason and Percy anyway."

"Well...it's the Lupa bit that's especially secret," Jett replied. "Knowing that our camp director was down...That would really worry everyone."

"Or make them go crazy," Austin said. "Who knows what would happen to the discipline here if Lupa were to go on sick leave?"

"Kids are already getting nervous," Cleo said. "They're noticing that Lupa hasn't been out and about."

"After this counselor meeting, things can only get worse," Jett solemnly promised. "You guys are gonna keep quiet...But the _Venus_ cabin probably won't."

Lylea felt that comment like a kick in the back. Austin just snorted. "You got that right!" he agreed ardently.

"Okay, that's enough," Jett nudged Jenna off his lap. "Good night everyone! Light's out."

Lylea happily complied, snuggling into her thin cotton bed sheets. Cleo climbed the ladder to her top bunk, and Jett turned out the lights. Lylea closed her eyes, sleep crashing over her instantly.

Lylea found herself in a dream world. She was riding in a blazing chariot (she couldn't even look at it-she just knew that she was riding in it somehow.) She looked down and saw beautiful landscapes rushing by her. Mountains, deserts, rivers, frozen tundras, rain forests, grass lands, everything imaginable. It was exhilarating, and Lylea felt right at home. She turned to see the driver but was instantly blinded.

"Look at me, child!" a deep voice ordered. "How dare you disrespect me...Oh. Wait. One sec."

The blinding light (from which the voice had come) toned down considerably, to soemthing that appeared to be much more human. Lylea could open her eyes, and saw a man, deeply bronzed, in roman battle armor, with bleach blonde hair, and golden eyes. You could still see divine light pulsing from within his humanly form.

"Dad?" Lylea asked, completely mesmerized.

"That is O Great and Glorious Almighty Sun God to you," the man said sternly. "Now, we don't usually do this because then it looks as if we are favoring one child over the other, and that just doesn't sit right with...Anyway, just remember this. You may be new to this lifestyle, but you have a duty to the world that you know."

Lylea looked at her father, the Almighty Glorious...yeah, in confusion.

"Okay, that was more than enough! Well...I suppose I'll give you one more thing. Or two. How soft I'm being to you! Be grateful and treasure this for the rest of your life! You may never see me again!"

Lylea wondered whether to believe him or not. Surely if he visited her tonight, he would have to sometime other in her life. "The hint?" she asked, trying to sound respectful.

"Minerva and Venus."

"What?" Lylea asked, as the sun god faded away. "Wait! Please-father!"

Lylea was thrown into blackness. "Do not cry for me. It is disgraceful to both you and me." the deep voice boomed. Lylea felt deeply ashamed. She wanted her father to like her of course. She wondered if she had always carried a Roman like streak in her throughout her life. She wondered, if she had, would it have made her stay at this camp easier?

"Do not show weakness," the deep voice continued. "Or harbor it."

With that, Lylea plunged back into the waking world, her eyes flying open, and her heart beating wildly. She laid in bed for a few moments, just gazing at the light colored wooden bedboards above her. She heard rustling, and knew that some of her cabin mates were already awake. Her mind instantly leapt to Jett, before it could even register that it was in a state of confusion and slight panic. She would have to tell him about her dream. She didn't know whether this was normal or not...even if it was, she would still benefit from his sympathetic kindness, right?

She turned over so she was facing the wall, rather than the middle of the cabin. Something deep within her told her not to tell Jett. It was probably the weakness her father had been talking about. She was a failure as a Roman, wasn't she? She shouldn't have survived camp this long. She plunged deep into self pity, remorse, and self scathing. Two minutes...three minutes...five minutes...

"Lylea? You awake?" a voice behind her asked. She turned and saw Jett standing at her feet, not looking directly at her, yet talking to her.

"I'm decent," she assured him. "You can look."

Both he and her were happy that in the morning darkness, both their blushes couldn't be seen by the other one. "It's probably a good time to wake up now," he said. Lamely.

"I'm up," she said, sitting up carefully so as not to bump her head on the bed above her. She grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth with Jenna who was also in the bathroom. She took this chance to "go", then changed outside (all she had to do was swap her tank top for a shirt, which she always did strategically so that she could pull on the new shirt over the tank top then take the tank top off from underneath). She wore whatever shorts she was going to wear to bed, so that she wouldn't have to change much. (her athletic shorts were comfortable enough to sleep in. And she didn't mind wrinkles. All she was going to do was get extremely sweaty, anyway).

As she waited outside with her cabin mates (Jett always liked to take roll before they met at the mess hall to start the jog) she was reconsidering telling Jett. As caring as he was, he was still Jett, and could seem quiet and aloof. This was still the Roman camp where discipline and strength were rewarded...and weakness and fear were punished. Was Lylea scared of telling Jett, or of not telling him? Would confiding in him be weakness, or would it be strength? Lylea was so confused and she hoped things would clear up as she went about her day. Or maybe forgetting the whole thing was best. Jett led them to the mess hall and Lylea began jogging with them, always remembering to keep right behind the person in front of her, and right in line the two people next to her. She was so lost in thought, or lost in not thoughts, that she had ignored the growing pain in her side. Lylea wondered whether that day would be a bad day.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lylea was surprised to be interrupted during swords fighting practice by the Vulcan cabin leader, Tracey Simmons (a tall, tough-looking girl, with coco-colored skin, dark eyes, crazy black hair, always under a red bandana). Apparently, the whole camp had been brought to the arena, where Lylea had first fought Brenton. The announcer girl Reyna was again on the podium, addressing the crowd.

"A mission is in order," she began. "Our camp director Lupa has fallen sick. Without her none of us would be here. We all owe her a great deal more than our lives. The mission is to find something that could cure her."

The crowd was dead silent. Lylea was standing next to Cleo and Quinn, and she was happy for the support they didn't know they were giving her. Everyone was scared, she could feel it, but of course, no one would say anything, or show it, and everyone's scared feelings were making her even more scared, even though she wasn't' sure whether she was as scared as them before, and now even worse, because she didn't know what was going on; or she could be not as scared because she didn't' know what was going on; and by now her head was spinning. Even if someone came up to her and explained everything in great detail, she probably wouldn't have understood half of it.

"Who's going on the mission?" Everyone turned to see Brenton speaking out boldly. Lylea felt that the camp's collective thoughts along the lines of either: _Of, course, he's the first one to talk _or _Wow, he's brave. No surprise there. _or _What a show-off._

Lylea could tell that he was as disturbed as the rest of the camp. He just didn't show it (by George, David, Bob, Phil, Ralph, and everyone, he didn't).

"Are you meaning to say you are taking volunteers?" Austin called out, not wanting to be outdone, probably. Stupid boys. (Just those two.)

"Does anyone have any suggestions?" Reyna asked. Lylea saw a defeated look on her face. She knew that she knew who the camp would automatically suggest.

"Brenton!" were a bunch of responds. There were some calls for the Mars cabin leader, Blade (yeah...that was his name...said something, didn't it?) And Lylea felt a burst of surprise when someone called out, "Jett!"

Then, a girl from the Mercury cabin, with frizzy blonde hair and beady blue eyes, stepped away from the crowd and turned to face them. Lylea was sure that she hadn't seen that girl in her life. "The people you all mentioned were very good choices in deed," the girl began in a loud but obviously nervous voice. She paused between every couple of words, as if she were giving a presidential speech. It Lylea wasn't in the situation in which she was in now, now, then she would have noticed the girl's excellent speaking voice. She would have wondered why the girl was nervous at all.

"I'll be frank in the telling of my notion. What if the camp is attacked? Strange things are happening. We can't predict the future not matter how hard we try. We must be prepared for anything! For that reason, I do not think we should send all of the names mentioned."

The crowd was silent as they gave her a fair hearing, then contemplated what she said for a few moments. Lylea felt tension rising. She could feel the opposite sides, _yes _and _nullum _preparing to battle it out.

"Weakness!" someone called out in outrage. There were yells of agreement, then a different voice yelled out.

"Not weakness! Tact! Skill! Reasoning! Not weakness!" There were roars of approval for that statement.

Suddenly, she saw Chauncey catch her eye from across the stadium. He motioned her away from the crowd. She was scared, but trusted Chauncey to not act without thought. She got away from the crowd, but not without a few strange and awkward glances. The sentry was Kai, one of Jenna's friends in Mercury. He gave her a strange look but allowed her to pass. She was grateful. When she saw Chauncey, Trenton was also with him.

"Hey..." she greeted them both feeling emotions a Roman would not be proud of.

"I'll just go first," Chauncey said, looking really scared and uneasy. "I had a dream...my mother was in it. She told me about a duty I had to the camp, and gave me two hints: Apollo and Minerva. The first thing I thought of, if it were duties to the camp, were Jett and Brenton." He sent an apologetic look to Trenton who just nodded curtly toward him as if saying "No, go ahead. I'm used to people praising my brother endlessly in my presence."

"But now there's conflicting views on whether to send them or not," Trenton said, he and Chauncey dawning realizing looks. "I had a similar dream...Minerva came to me."

"Yeah, same," Lylea said lamely. "My father came in my dream."

"Are we supposed to go on the quest?" Trenton asked, looking scared for probably the first time in his life.

"Yes, it's us, I know it," Chauncey said, shivering. "Sorry guys...but I'm good at seeing _possibilities_ and if we _don't_ go and the leaders go instead, it's going to be chaos. Most people are happy with the leadership now, I'm sure there are some rebellious spirits who think they coudl do better, but if the leaders went away? And a battle came upon us? We would be fighting amongst ourselves over who would lead. It would not end without violence."

Lylea looked at Chauncey in surprise. He nodded gravely. He and Trenton shared a blood chillingly scared look. Lylea almost didn't want to know. She would have to get it out of them later.

"Ok, let's go back," Trenton said. "I'll tell Reyna..."

"Will she even believe us?" Lylea asked, a bit of distrust and disdain in her voice (towards the girl).

"Reyna's really nice, and smart. Hopefully," he said, with a sad sigh.

They made their way back to the arena. Tensions were really high and already they had divided into opinions. In fact, a third of the camp didn't' even want to send anyone on the mission. Who ever won the argument...the other people would hate them for a while.

"Three campers are missing!" Jett called, then he spotted them immediately after wards. "Where were you?" he asked all of them gruffly but only looking at Lylea. "Not attending a camp meetings results in punishment."

"We were here," Trenton assured him, "but we have to tell you something."

"We have to go on the quest," Chauncey blurted out. "We all had dreams."

"No." Jett said immediately. "No offense but both of you are not our best fighters or anything like that. And Lylea certainly can't go because she has had no experience at all!"

"We are just as good as any camper! Just because we're in the background doesn't mean we aren't good enough!" Trenton bristled greatly at his words. Jett glared him back down. In fact they just started a staring contest.

"What? Why would we send them? The second rate twin, the gay, and the newest camper we have?"

The three of them whirled around, all with bloodlust in their eyes. It was Brenton who had said it, and others were backing him up.

"Everyone knows that the Venus is the most useless cabin ever!"

"Why would we send any of them on a mission?"

That of course made the Venus campers angry, and the groups divided even more. The Yes Cabin Leaders and No Cabin Leaders people were united against the No Quest people, but were also against each other. Now everyone was united against the Venus campers-and Lylea and Trenton. Vicky, a very beautiful Mercury girl, (dark brown hair, perfect tan skin, and dark brown eyes) came up, glaring at Brenton. "Trenton is perfectly capable of going on this mission?"

Brenton smiled flintily at her. "Sure, capable, maybe, but everyone knows I'm better."

"Because you don't give him a chance!" Vicky retorted.

"Awwwww, look, at least a _girl_ is sticking up for him!" a random person sad. Everyone laughed, but a few of the girls (that weren't docile desperate bitches) didn't laugh. In fact they got mad too.

An eerie howl crashed into everyone's ear drums and they froze, mid shout, mid kick, whatever. Everyone gasped as a thunder rumbled, and lightning struck, and huge large jagged shadow, taking up most of the arena, of a wolf appeared on the ground.

"Lupa!" Reyna and the cabin counselors fell to their knees in salute. The rest of the camp followed awkwardly.

"You stupid insolent despicable children!" the wolf snarled, roaring loudly. "You are bickering like toddlers not solving problems like warriors! I am absolutely ashamed to have admitted any of you into this camp! Not one of you has made me sure of my decisions! Is this the thanks I get for taking you in, nurturing you when the outside world has spit you back out, and you have no where left to go? I should have left you all to die! I should have killed you MYSELF!"

Lylea shivered at the wolf's words. Everything seemed every bit true. She looked up to see a savage looking wolf, with an air of strength and pride, with glowing blue eyes, but her fur was not lustrous and her body puke-inducing-ly thin. Lylea had never known the wolf but she knew that the wolf should have radiated power in spirit as well as body.

"You have made me come here, waste my precious energy, when I have so many other things to look after!" she howled loudly. "All the fauns are gone and apparently your precious cabin leaders thought they could run the camp! How dare you disrespect me in such a way!"

She turned to leave, glaring daggers at everyone. No more than daggers. Spears, swords, arrows, bullets, atomic bombs... "I hope I have thoroughly scared all of you!" she snarled with rage. "Had I been better, I would have killed at least half of you, so that the remaining of you would know your place. I unfortunately cannot do that so I have to leave you with just a warning! See how soft you are becoming without me? You are fighting over who should go on a quest to find a cure! I am insulted by all of you! You aren't even fighting, you aren't debating or discussing either! You are weakly throwing hurtful words at each other, hoping no one will see how TRULY AFRAID YOU REALLY ARE! You'll never find the cure for me anyway, it is too obscure and too elusive. It is the one thing that can save me nothing else will work. Well that took way to much energy then I would have liked. I hope you realize the extent of my anger. Yes-I am very angry. Now go back to your cabins and don't continue this insulting activity anymore." She disappeared into the darkness and left everyone in silence. Several minutes passed by, everyone inside their own heads, sifting through their thoughts. The campers split into their cabins, and went back-except for Venus, Apollo, and Minerva. All three cabins stared at each other, hostility not yet spent, and tensions high.

"I think Lylea, Chauncey, and Trenton should go on this mission," Reyna spoke from the front of her group (well behind Brenton). "We can spare them and I think they will be helped by their godly parents."

Brenton shot a venomous look at his twin. Everyone silently agreed (though not graciously) and they all went back to their cabins. No one spoke to Lylea and she felt like crap. She wouldn't have any friends after this mission. Even if, by the very slim possibility that she would return, and return victorious, no one would like her. She had never cared about fitting in before...but this was completely different. This was where, as different as everyone was, they were all the same underneath. They all wanted to prove themselves worhty and they all wanted to become the best they could be, as cheesy as it sounded, it was true. Why did they train so hard every day, if not to become better? It was certainly not for fun, in Lylea's case.

"Here is a pack to take with you on your quest," Jett said coldly, shoving a navy backpack to her. "It has first aid, some ambrosia and nectar for injuries-don't use more than a morsel of the ambrosia and not more than a sip of nectar. You will explode if you do." Lylea nodded silently, and gratefully received the pack.

"Good night, everyone," Jett said, shutting off the lights. Everyone took turns in the shower, allowing Lylea to go first. She felt even more horrible after that. She climbed into her bed, yelling at herself to not cry. She didn't' sleep well that night. She wasn't sure if she had slept at all. She was internally aware of time passing (perhaps it was her father coming closer and closer, after gracing the other side of the world with his presence.) She got up at three-thirty, getting ready slowly, not acknowledging anyone as they woke up at four, four thirty, four forty five. She went outside to the entrance of the camp and waited for her quest mates. Reyna came with Trenton, no one came with Chauncey. Jett came with Lylea though they didn't speak a word to each other on the way there. Trenton and Chauncey both had packs as well. Lylea stood beside them, closer to the entrance while the other three campers were more towards camp.

"Well, if you know here you are going, good luck." Reyna said. "We aren't sure the details of the quest, but best wishes all the same." The words were force, Lylea could tell, and Jett didn't say anything.

"Bye. And thanks," Lylea said, making sure to sound just as reluctant and Reyna had. She turned around, Trenton and Chauncey following her. They didn't say bye to the camp. They didn't say bye to any campers. They just left. Camp life would continue as normal as if they had never been there before and their absence was of no meaning to them. A small voice inside Lylea's head (almost so small it could be easily ignored) asked herself whether she would ever see her mother again.


End file.
